On the Ohio

Ripley to Cincinnati

August 12

The river is foggy but not as bad as yesterday so we expected to get out on time. You never know if the river is going to change your plans. We go to the local diner for breakfast and were surprised that it has been remodeled. It has a new owner but still has the same great breakfast. The 50's decor is now more modern country. Once our tanks were filled and we enjoyed conversation with some of the locals we headed down river toward Meldahl Dam. We arrive about 11:00 and were waiting behind a barge to lock through. Several other boats show up to join us. Two hours later we head into the lock and at 1:30 the doors open and we find the area almost completely blocked by an incoming barge. There is enough room to squeeze through but we are too close to the shore for comfort. Captain Mark maneuvers the boat around the barge keeping a watchful eye on a huge tree stuck on the edge of the river, and we head home. One thing that we notice is that the river is full of pleasure boaters. The river has been pretty quiet most of the last two weeks and it was fun to watch the kids getting pulled on tubes, people swimming, jet skiing, and boating. We stop at 8 mile to say hi to the Culshaw's and head off again. Only now we are stopped by the police! We are told there is an active crime scene and the river has been shut down. So, we drop anchor and wait. There is a first time for everything and this is a first for us. Later we learn on the news that divers were trying to recover a body from the river and there were so many boaters out that the river was too choppy, so it was shut down for a while to aid the recovery. About a half hour later, the Ohio side is opened and we are told to proceed with no wake. If you have ever gone up river after the fireworks or a concert and have seen a long line of boats then you will know what this looked like.

We pulled into Four Seasons marina about an hour later. There was a problem. The river is now so low that the boat is plowing through silt and stirring up a lot of brown mess. Mark is frowning as this is not good for all the operating systems that now have mud flowing through them. We headed out two weeks ago with very brown water due to a high river and fast current and returned to make brown water due to a low river! Mark plowed his way into his dock and our adventure ended. We packed several carts full of our belongings thinking the amount of stuff we took off the boat would help the boat float a bit higher in the water but doubtful that it really did help. We saw Tom working on his boat as we unpacked and knew the Nancy Carolyn was back home and we were headed back to our homes. Thank you Mark, Nancy, Mike and Christy for a wonderful two week trip.

The water is still and river is low as we head down river on the last leg of our journey.

Captain Mark watching and waiting for the Augusta ferry.

one of many interesting homes along the river.

These two tanks came out of the Meldahl lock with not one but three boats carrying it upstream. Must have been carrying something special.

Lots of work on the lock. Large chamber is closed for work.

Smooth preparation as usual. Last lock for this trip.

However, when the doors open we see this barge starring at us.

We follow the traffic out of the lock. This locking had the most boats we encountered all week.

Single file out please.

Really tight squeeze for us. Thanks captain Mark.

One final issue before home. River temporarily closed for water recover efforts.

Portsmouth to Ripley

August 11

Today we were up early and found our way to a new coffeehouse near campus to enjoy breakfast while waiting on the morning fog to lift so that we can take off for Ripley. The coffeehouse was new and modern, hip. It is a very different look from most buildings and refreshing. The owner turned an old building into lofts and turned an old garage into this industrial looking but comfortable space. It was nice to talk to an entrepreneur in the area. Once the fog lifted we headed down river. It is a partly cloudy and warmer day than we have had, nice for a boat ride. We stopped off at Manchester to fill the fuel tanks and then finished the ride to Ripley. We are back to the section of the Ohio that we know well. It is Friday but the dock is almost empty so Mark has his choice of where he wants to dock. With a slow current docking is quick at Ripley boat club.

Once docked we head to one of our favorite ice cream shops. It is vintage and has good ice cream so is a favorite stop. A long walk around town was needed after the day sitting on the boat. The town is similar to many along the river. The street along the river is busy and prosperous looking and the next few streets have opportunities to fix up homes and put in businesses. In Ripley, there are many opportunities.

This is a historic Underground Railroad town. The historic district has the John Parker and John Rankin homes which were both prominent in the Underground Railroad. Historic markers are placed in front of buildings around town explaining the happenings and impact. One disconcerting site is a home with a large rebel flag hanging in front of a house and this house is on a hill directly behind John Parkers home. John Parker was a former slave who became an entrepreneur and also helped slaves escape via the Underground Railroad. This guy was definitely making a statement. One building that is rTher unique in town is the library. It's Art Deco style stands out in the town.

We had dinner at a restaurant on the river and then again relaxed on the boat and played Sequence until we couldn't stay awake and headed for bead. Another relaxing evening.

Dean in the coffeehouse in Portsmouth.

It is a little foggy today.

Ripley Front Street.

A pretty Victorian house on Front Street.

Sue wanted to read with this girl in the bench in front of the library.

😄

Portsmouth

August 10

Today is one of those surprise days where we spend a whole day on land. Plan A was to arrive in Portsmouth today, but plan B got us in yesterday afternoon. We are up early and walk into town for breakfast at one of the local cafes. It is an old building with wood floors, brick walls and tin ceilings. Very comfortable with good food.

Then we find a hardware/antique shop. It had a model train running on a platform made of old ladders hung near the ceiling. This is Dean’s kind of place! Once we finally managed to pull him out of the store, we walk around town, enjoy the Scioto and Ohio Rivers that border two sides of the town and the long flood wall that protects the town. This town is worth visiting even if you only have time to walk the wall. Scenes from the town’s past and present, famous people, Branch Rickey and Roy Rogers, and industry and education important to the region are painted on the long wall. The town has a nice park with a big bandstand and some nice architecture. It is a town in transition with Shawnee University causing new businesses but still a net loss from steel, shoe, …businesses. The schools and athletics fields are all new and impressive, so it looks like they are focusing on education.

There are several new restaurants, and we plan on testing as many as possible. We choose one for lunch that has 51 beers on tap plus bottle varieties. There was a separate beer menu. It was tough for the beer drinkers to each choose one but they did share so they each got to test multiples. Alcohol kills germs, right? We say goodbye to Mike and Christy as they head to Manchester Island for a weekend with their kids at one of their family’s favorite spots.

After looking at several large antique stores, we felt that we had spent a couple of hours in museums looking at reminders of our history and decided to head back to the boat to rest, read and eat. We are staying at Shawnee boat club which is the same place we stayed on the way upstream. One big difference this time is the river level. It is down about 14 feet from last week. So, the dock sits much lower than last time we were here, we see shoreline and there are sandbars sticking out of the water that we didn't see on the way up. The river current is back to normal, too, and is very clean. Few trees ore even branches are floating down river. What a difference a few days can make on the river!

After a smorgasbord dinner of our many yummy leftovers from dinners at various restaurants and on the boat, we played Sequence and enjoyed an evening under the moon and the big bridge. The people at this boat club cooked ribs and chicken wings tonight. They brought us some. The people here are generous and friendly, and very good at grilling! Tomorrow we head out.

A small piece of the flood wall.

More wall murals.

Baseball focus was big here with a minor league team that produced a number of big league players.

Football was a focus locally, too.

This sand bar was submerged and the piling were partially submerged last time we passed this point. There was no riverbank showing either.

Train running around track overhead in a shop.

Some of the antiques were really antiques transformed. An old door and bed frame make an interesting wall tree.

Halloween chair?

Lunch restaurant had one wall with a large bar with 51 taps and fun signs on the opposite wall.

The new grade school is beside the stately old library and the high school is across the street. Great planning!

Library stained glass ceiling.

Gallipolis to Ashland to Portsmouth

August 9

This morning we stretched the many hoses to reach the far away spigot in Gallipolis and filled the water tanks before taking off to Ashland. It is a beautiful day, sunny and warm but not hot. We lock through the Robert Byrd locks quickly and easily and spend a few hours enjoying the nice day heading down river toward Ashland. When we arrive we are surprised that the dock was set up only for large ships with a high dock, giant cleats that were far apart and large concrete pieces sticking out to stop riverboats. We didn't see any way that we could dock without damaging the boats so decided to make it a long day and head to Portsmouth. This meant a few more hours of cruising and another lock. We were fortunate again at the Greenup locks as there was no waiting. We shared the lock with a work boat it that was not a problem. The river has been dropping for about a week and the lock had at least a 30 foot drop. It was a large drop but locking was straightforward. An hour later we arrived at Portsmouth marina and after a bit of resting and talking we headed off for dinner and a walk. With our stomachs filled, we walked back to the boats and enjoyed the quiet on the river from the flybridge. The moon was almost full and the stars were bright. Nice way to end a day

A little foggy first thing in the morning.

Getting better.

Another beautiful day on river.

But a little chilly for August.

Heading into Robert Byrd lock.

The day warms up nicely.

There are interesting places along the way.

A little more barge traffic today.

We get to Ashland only to discover we can't safely dock. So, this is what we see of Ashland.

Greenup lock. Two locks in one day!

Nancy holds the boat in place. Sue gets the aft end support function. This time she may get a little wet.

Yep. A little wet.

Pipeline across the river looks like a skinny bridge.

The longest riveted trestle bridge is on the Ohio.

Interesting walk around Portsmouth finds "The Ritz" flanked by the Goodwill store and the Boy Scouts.

Dean is glad he asked for the SMALL steak.

And good night from the marina under a bridge.

Letart Island to Point Pleasant to Gallipolis

August 9, 2017

We wake to a beautiful, and once again warm, day. After playing on water toys, kayaking and jet skiing, we enjoy a relaxed breakfast. The two captains had work they want to do on their generators and after this was complete we head down river. If you ever need a quiet spot on the river where you can relax and allow yourself to exhale, I highly recommend this quiet spot.

Shortly after we were underway, we came to Racine locks. No waiting today. We went straight in and came out the other end about a half hour later. We had a very pleasant ride down river and our first stop was Point Pleasant, WV. It is a small town with a big flood wall that is painted with historical scenes. We visited West Virginia's smallest state park which is a site that commemorates a battle for this part of the Ohio territory. The site overlooks the Kawanha and Ohio Rivers. We also visited the Point Pleasant river museum. There were numerous boat models and artifacts and a simulator that allows you to pilot anything from a speed boat to a tug pushing a barge. It was very realistic and hard to pull away from. The town is quite small so it didn't take long to see the rest of it. We decided to go a few miles down river to Gallipolis to spend the night since we liked it so much on the way up stream. It is still pretty and we checked out a restaurant that is an old theater that has been converted into a restaurant. It was playing a silent film which was entertaining while eating. Another good dinner! We ended the evening watching the large moon come up and fill the sky. Even in town the lights are dim enough that stars are visible and bright.

Sun rising through the trees on the island.

Morning on the river. Ok, inhale, look at this scene, close your eyes and keep the view in your mind, exhale. Feel better? If this didn't work, try the same exercise on the next few pictures. This place is very relaxing.

Dean enjoying his morning kayaking.

Lovely purple flowers covered part of the shore.

More flowers.

The Nancy Carolyn is enjoying the quiet just like we are.

So is the Calliope.

It is our turn to lock through.

First stop is Point Pleasant. Got to love the name of the town!

The town has a nice amphitheater in front of the wall.

The history of the town's beginning is painted on the walls.

This guy was part of a large battle with the natives for the land. He won and it wasn't one of humanities shining moments as to how the natives were treated. Typical story but still disconcerting.

Not every town has a comic book character statue on the town square! Moth man.

The River museum is well done. Lots of models, artifacts and information with two ladies who will tell you even more. I love the passion the people we have met have for their towns and telling story of the past.

Curtain from an old showboat.

From days gone by. Point Pleasant Marine Co.

Point Pleasant Marine Co. today.

The simulator was very realistic.

Nancy is 'driving' a speed boat. Lots of fun.

West Virginia's smallest state park has an awesome view.

We dock at Gallipolis and have dinner, then watch the moon and stars before calling it a day. Another beautiful night on the river.

Marietta to Letart Island

August 7

We all agree that Marietta was one of our favorite towns and it is time to leave. It is raining as we take off but it stops before we get to Parkersburg, WV for a fueling stop and to walk around town. The fuel boat was waiting for us when we arrived and the guy filled all the tanks on both boats. We then took a walk through town and the historic district. A very nice man asked us if we wanted to see the art gallery as we walked by. It was an old Montgomery Ward store that is now a lovely gallery and learning center. The art work was interesting and the spaces where open and cheery. It is often used for receptions and would be a nice space for that. Our new friend was excited to tell us about the art work and and answer our questions. He then handed us a book about the historic houses as we left. As with so many people we have met, he was excited to share his part of the world with us and made us feel very welcome.

It is a grey and cool day as we head down stream. Some of us are wearing sweatshirts and some long pants. It feels more like October than August and is a very pleasant break from the usual heat. The ride is nice and we make good time since we are no longer fighting the current. We had to wait an hour at the Belleville Dam to lock through but this is not an unusual occurrence. One a barge that literally filled the lock emerged our two boats locked through. About 7 pm we found a bit of heaven known at Letart Island. If this was closer to Cincinnati it would be a much frequented place by boaters! We had it all to ourselves and enjoyed the quiet, save the occasional train that rides on a track that seems to run the entire length of Kentucky and West Virginia. We grilled dinner on Calliope’s grill and enjoyed a relaxed dinner on the deck, with coats and sweatshirts keeping us comfortable, and the grown up drinks. It will be nice to wake up here tomorrow.

Back to Parkersburg. This time for a real visit.

Calliope getting fuel.

The boats docked at Parkersburg.

Train tracks everywhere.

The a colorful painting at art gallery in Parkersburg.

The art gallery is bright and colorful too. Just like the art work.

The historic district has numerous beautiful old houses.

House and garden are beautiful.

This is one of the more impressive of many impressive homes.

They don't put details like this on homes today.

Oil and gas museum had a large outdoor space with lots of machinery and items to look at.

The area just inside the flood wall.

Nice plants were just inside the flood wall.

They had lots of these trees that were about ready to drop their seeds.

This big guy squeezed out of the lock so that we could take our turn.

Nancy lassoing another bollard at the lock.

At Letart we relaxed in autumn clothing to enjoy a cool evening.

Beautiful Flowers's lined the shore at Letart

This is a place where you can relax and exhale.

Marietta

August 6

We spent the day in Marietta. No river travel, docking or anchoring. After doing laundry at a nearby coin laundry, we headed across the Muskingum River for a breakfast at a recommended restaurant. As with all the towns that we have visited, the people are friendly and very helpful. If you ever loose faith in humankind, just visit the small towns into the Midwest for a while. Your faith will be renewed.

After a hearty breakfast and a relaxing time on the boat we headed into town to check out shops, antique stores and malls. Then we rented bikes and enjoyed a couple of hours of biking on a lovely trail that hugged the Muskingum and Ohio Rivers. None of us had been on a bike without hand breaks and gears for awhile. We all caught ourselves squeezing the handlebars from time to time! The Inland Waterways Festival was going on near the Ohio River Museum and just happened to be on the bike path. There were numerous booths where one could learn about the rivers history, about the various kind of river vessels including an old stern wheeler that the guys disappeared into and didn't surface for a long time. One tent had various speakers and there were interactive exhibits on life in and around the river. Mark Twain was even wandering around. It was a great find and we topped it off with ice cream, again! Some of us walked around the Marietta College campus and the mounds cemetery where Native Americans and Revolutionary War veterans were buried. We bought extra groceries nearby for the trip back down the river and then walked across the bridge over the Muskingum River and had a wonderful dinner at a local Italian restaurant. Lunch tomorrow will be leftovers and the frig will probably smell like garlic in the morning. Rain moved in just as we got back to the boats so we are listening to jazz music and rain on the roof. Great way to end a fun and relaxing day in Marietta. Tomorrow morning we turn around and head back home, wishing we had another week to make it all the way to Pittsburgh before turning around. We all agree that it would be wonderful to return and finish off this end of the Ohio River on another trip.

The Calliope and Nancy Carolyn at the Marietta Harbor.

we had to add one of our shots of Nancy sitting. This time as a guy tells us about logging.

Sue walking the footbridge that crosses the Muskingum River.

The footbridge with the bike path going under it and following the shoreline.

Christy, Sue and Mark on the bike path.

Christy and Mike show their bike riding prowess.

Hopefully, this fella is not looking for the ice cream we got at the inland water fair.

Even here Dean seams to find a cemetery to checkout. No family members found.

This was an organ and band all in one contraption.

Mike took his jet ski to explore and captured this the sternwheeler from the river.

Knowledgeable interpreters answered all the guys questions about how this sternwheeler. This was once the largest sternwheeling tug on the Muskingum River.

Mark feeling what it might be like to captain this craft.

Dean checks out handmade kayaks.

Good night Marietta.

Belpre to Marietta
August 5

We got up early today and walked across the bridge to West Virginia and back. On the way back we found a bakery that made a huge assortment of morning pastries. After a breakfast on the flybridge of eggs with yummy donuts, we all climbed into the Calliope for a trip across the river where the boat was docked and we loaded a real sternwheeler that took us to Blennerhassett Island which is a historical site where Aaron Burr plotted a revolution to fight Mexico for what is now Texas. A lot of misinformation led to Burr and Blennerhassett fleeing until their names were cleared, careers and fortunes being lost. Not much has changed in communications and politics over the years. The mansion and grounds were interesting and fascinating. It was a great historical place to visit.

We headed to Marietta mid afternoon and an hour later were pulling into the Marietta harbor. This will be our home until Monday morning. We walked around downtown Marietta for a couple of hours and then had a wonderful dinner and walked the town after dark. It is late and the moon is almost full as we relax on the boat a while before heading to bed for the night.

Bakery near marina in Belpre. The pastries taste as good as they look.

Blennerhassett yacht club where we spent the night.

Bridges between Ohio and West Virginia. The closest one is a train bridge that is busy. The second is the automobile bridge that we walked across.

We have arrive at our last stop east. Marietta.

Blennerhassett mansion on Blennerhassett Island.

Shaded grounds of Blennerhassett Island. Big canopy of walnut trees.

Wagon rides on the island.

The foyer of the mansion. Love the marble tile and the trim on walls and ceilings.

Many interpreters in period costumes gave us lots of information about live in the early 1800's. They were great at answering our questions.

This historic home was moved from the main land by Shell Oil to the island to preserve it when building threatened it.

The sternwheeler we rode to and from the island.

And then back on the dock for some R&R before dinner.

This historic hotel had a sternwheeler pilot house wheel on its ceiling and many interesting pictures and artifacts about the area and river life.

The sternwheeler pilot house wheel is quite large. Look up.

Bluffington Island to Belpre, Ohio

August 5

Kayaking around a beautiful island on a sunny summer morning is a great way to start a day! We spent the morning enjoying the water and scenery, reading and having a large breakfast on the outside table on the flybridge. This is true relaxation! We headed up river mid day, locked through the final lock for our trip east/north at the Belview dam and arrived at Belpre late afternoon. The Blennerhassett marina is a beautiful marina on the river filled with very friendly boaters.

We walked to the homecoming festival which was a small festival with some good food. Our highlight was homemade ice cream. It didn't take long to do all that we wanted to do and the rain that was being predicted was closing in on us, so we decided to hike back to the marina. We were prepared for the rain. Dean and I had raincoats, an umbrella and Keen shoes but Dean won the ‘be prepared award’ when he pulled an waterproof bag from his cargo shorts and offered it to keep cell phones dry!

Upon arriving at the marina we were welcomed to the birthday celebration happening. They kept offering food, but no one was hungry. Talking to fellow boating enthusiasts who were very hospitable was a fun way to end the day.

Early morning fun in the kayak.

There is no such thing as textbook anchoring. We had trouble getting the anchor to set yesterday due to a sandy bottom. Then this very heavy waterlogged log was tangled in the chain close to the anchor when we were pulling up the anchor. It took two men on a jet ski with a few tools and boat hooks to dislodge it. Let's just say we are glad the boat hooks float. After retrieving everything we were on our way.

The Ohio is muddy but not as bad as down river and the current is slower so we enjoyed beautiful scenery and make good time.

Belleville dam and locks.

The lock door opens so we can enter.

Nancy vs. bollard. Nancy wins!

Through the lock and our final pool is also beautiful!

There are way more sternwheelers in this river than we ever imagined.

Blennerhassett Yacht Club.

Patio at BYC.

Helper bridge to Blennerhassett Island We could do a blog on all the bridges on the Ohio.

Blennerhassett mansion. We will see this tomorrow.

Parkersburg is across the river from us. Another place to visit tomorrow.

Welcome to our home tonight.

it was pouring and I saw a dry car wash. The irony was not lost on me when Mike and Christy came by she started to laugh and took our picture.

Gallipolis to Bluffington Island

August 3, 2017

Life on the river started in the usual way with fog. The blanket is aerie and beautiful at the same time. After topping off the water we headed up river. The weather is warm but beautiful. We pass a few small towns, power plants and miles of green hills and fields as we travel up the winding river today. Sometimes it feels like travel on the river is twice as long as it twists and turns. The current is down and the boats can travel faster today. We make it to Racine dam and locks much quicker than expected! With Nancy on board she takes over the first mate duties of lassoing the bollard as we lock through. Lots of tree debris waited us as we exited the locks. There are so many cut trees floating in the river that we wonder if people are just cutting down trees and leaving them for the river to carry way.

Our destination is a large island and we plan on a relaxing afternoon of playing in the water and an evening shared with friends in the water. After more playing tomorrow we will head further upstream.

The two boats in the morning fog.

Two kids enjoying time on a town sign as we pass by.

Some towns went for the low cost approach to signage.

This church in Pomeroy made a statement with its red doors.

Some watercraft are more interesting than others.

The Calliope enters the Racine locks on the right while a series of barges exit the other lock.

The barge takes up almost every square inch of the lock! It emerges filled with coal

Nancy lassoing the bollards.

A typical power plant on the Ohio River.

Ohio on the leafy and Bluffington Island on the right. Our home tonight.

Dean and Sue in their new inflatable kayak. It wouldn't win any races but travels in a duffle and maneuvers well.

True P&Ger on vacation doing a Head and Shoulders commercial.

Our two boats tied up for swimming and dinner.

The Nancy Carolyn and Calliope.

This interesting craft is docked near the island.

Gallipolis

August 2

Yesterday when we expected to stay in the marina, it was partly because fuel and water would be available. The boat can go a couple of days before the humans on board consume the water. The boats required fuel at this point in the trip, too. We had hopes that the lock master would let less water out down stream raising the water table in the this part of the river, but woke to find the river down another 6 inches. So, getting into the marina to fuel and water was no longer a possibility. This is when human ingenuity came into play. Part of the group headed to the marina to try and talk the fuel company into coming to the city dock to fuel the boats, which was something they didn't want to do. They also looked at other fuel companies and called the local police to see if we could get permission to fuel at the city dock. In the meantime the other half of us were on water duty. I noticed there were 6 spots for campers at city dock. This meant water is available but it was rather far away. The chief of police showed up to let us know that we could fuel here. Yeah! He also had lots of ideas for alternative docks if fuel trucks wouldn't come here. Then he watched us try and stretch our hoses across to the spigot and offered a great devise that was like a frisbee with a string to help. Dean threw it across the water think frisbee fly fishing! He connected the hoses and pulled them from the boat across the water to the parking lot. What a wonderful device! But, we were short by about 75 feet! Our friendly police chief called one of his guys who came over with a 100 foot length of hose. We filled the water on the Nancy Carolyn easily. The Calliope was up river and required all 5 people to pull and hold the hose tight to get the hose to the boat. It worked and her tanks were filled. Success! While this was happening the other three people in our group returned still looking for fuel. Mark got a phone call from one of the many companies he had called in the last 24 hours and learned that fuel would arrive in a couple of hours. It was about 10:00 am and no one had eaten yet so we made brunch and filled our personal tanks. The fuel truck showed up at 11:30 and the Nancy Carolyn went to a nearby dock to be fueled. The truck driver was extremely helpful and everything went as planned. The only issue was a rock ledge and stumps stuck in the ground and sticking vertically out of the water. A propeller may have incurred some damage but the boat runs fine for the speeds we travel on the river. Whew. The Calliope took on fuel and we spent the afternoon exploring town. We had a chance to peruse the antique stores and found a couple of finds. Gallipolis is a gem on the river. It is thriving while so many towns suffer from economic challenges. We considered going upstream to the next town for tonight since we want to see as many towns as we can. Since Nancy arrived with a car, she and Mark scouted out Pomeroy to see if it was a good spot for tonight. Their docks are concrete and fixed rather than floating. This means they were covered with mud due to the receding river. Glad she could check this out. We are having a nice cookout on the boats tonight and enjoying the view of Gallipolis.

The Calliope and Nancy Carolyn on Gallipos city dock.

Park on city square. We met Kim who heads up the flower efforts in the town. She has a volunteer crew who do the gardening and the results are beautiful

Street along the park.

Gardens in town are picked as the weekly one to highlight. One of the winners

Now this is how to get your lot for sale noticed.!

Dean throwing the disc device across the water. With Chief of police, Jeff.

Dean and Christy pulling hose to land to the water spigot.

Fueling the Nancy Carolyn.

Polmeroy muddy dock.

One of neighbors today.

Huntington to Gallipolis

August 1

We woke to a foggy river. Couldn't see the next boat early in the morning and we felt like we were in a cloud, which we were. Once the fog burned off we headed up river. It is another beautiful day on the river. The hills seem lower and the river is still churning brown silt. The reflections off the river were particularly stunning today. We locked through the Robert Byrd locks. These were some of the cleanest locks we have been through. We were told to pull right in and it was a text book locking. As we left we were surprised by the clean water, very few logs to maneuver around. The river has dropped a foot and that is the difference between fighting a strong current and and weak one. Because of this we arrived in Gallipolis mid afternoon as planned. Because the river had dropped, the channel back to the marina was rather shallow. We made it back there but the captains were concerned about getting out the next day if the river dropped again as planned, so we exited, churning up silt behind us and came to the city dock. Shortly after docking Nancy arrived with a freshly baked peach pie in hand and fresh sweet corn and an Indiana Mellon. We were looking forward to seeing her even without all the treats!

Gallipolis is a quaint village that is fun to walk. It has a huge town square with a lovely park in the center. There was an Italian restaurant about a mile out of town that the locals recommended, so we walked there and the meal was great. It was also very filling so I was rather thankful for the walk back because I knew that peach pie was going to be the exclamation to our day when we got back to the boats. Yummy!

The fog is starting to lift.

The fog has almost burnt off.

Typical view from the boat today.

Robert Byrd bridge and dam. The long time statesman would be proud of the dam and locks named after him! The locks are on the right.

Heading into the locks.

Lots of geese once we exited the locks. This guy was not happy that we got so close.

The Chicamauga Creek that feeds into the Ohio River and where the marina is where we hoped to spend a couple of nights.

Gallipolis

Park in the center of town. Green and full of flowers. Charming!

This is what was left of the pie after 6 of us had our bedtime snack.

Portsmouth to Huntington

July 31

After breakfast we head upstream. Once again there are many large tree and tree parts floating down the river and the current is swift. We get to the Greenup dam and locks late morning and are ushered in as soon as we arrive. The lack of water on the walls tells us that we are the first ones through today. No slime on the walls is a plus! There are many logs in the upstream side of the locks that have washed this far and are waiting to be carried through the locks with the next boat or barge. We even have the misfortune to see a swollen, dead beaver. There are many beaver in this part of the river and we are hoping to see some, but alive would be much nicer. The hills are getting steeper and quite rocky but the land is still lush and green, and the river is still brown and running fast because it is high. We are in an industrial part of the country, mostly steel along the river. We pass factories, Depressed areas and some thriving towns. The barge traffic is high both moving and docked along the sides of the river. Dean has been counting barges, moving and docked but there were so many today that he gave up.

We make it to Huntington, W. VA mid afternoon and need to pass the town to find a dock. We Re happy to find a dock as most have closed here. We decide to spend a night on the boats rather than going into town and enjoy a great, relaxed homemade dinner and an evening with friends.

This is the approach to our next lock and represents the crossing of our "event horizon". That is the furthest point we had gone on the Ohio river. From this point on all is new and unexplored (at least for us).

Dean lassoing the bollard.

Lots and lots of barges!! Can be intimidating at times.

And these folks don't seem to care if they go upstream or downstream. But sticking together is important.

passing Ironton on the way.

Many interesting yards on houses that face the river. This was not the only statue liberty yard item we saw.

Here we are on our way into a marina close to Huntington. Looking for a good spot to stop for the night.

Maysville to Portsmouth

July 30

Another mild, beautiful day. Overnight a large log/tree that was floating down river banged into the boat. Everyone woke up. The Calliope was down stream and the log not only hit the boat but lodged between it and the shore so they got to hear it until morning when Mike was able to dislodge it. We left Maysville and spent six hours cruising on the river. The area we pass through is quite rural and looks practically untouched by humans. We went over an hour a couple of times before seeing another vessel on the river. It is a quiet, lazy Sunday. The one thing that is moving fast is the river. It looks calm, but that is deceiving. The muddy water is flowing about 5 miles/hr and we are moving upstream, so the engines are working harder and we slow to make it easier on them. The river is quite high which is easy to determine even without the depth finders. We haven't seen a shore all day. The river is right up to the bottom of the trees, We are on vacation and it is a lovely day so if we arrive in Portsmouth a little later than planned, so be it. About 6 pm we dock. We have been here before and know a good BBQ restaurant. About 7:00 we walk across Shawnee State campus, a pleasant and relatively young campus with most buildings being built after the 1960’s. We find the restaurant on the other side and enjoy a delicious dinner. We take the long way back to the boats to take a walk through town. It is quite depressed with many closed, rundown buildings. A city square between two large banks has become home for a number of homeless. Is this a metaphor for the economy here?

Beautiful, relaxed Sunday.

there are still the power plants all along the Ohio river. This one is most likely coal fired given the number of coal barges along the shore.

Bridges are a common theme as you come to these towns. This one on the approach to Portsmouth.

Portsmouth also has a flood wall with nice murals.

With the river flowing fast, it takes a bit of adjusting of the lines to get the boat where Mark wants it. It also makes it easier to hop off the swim platform when it is close to the dock!

Cincinnati to Maysville, KY

July 29

It is a beautiful July morning that feels more like,early June as we board the Mark and Nancy's Nancy Carolyn which will be our transportation and home for the next two weeks. We have loaded her with enough food and clothes to carry us for more than our two week stay and we definitely won't go hungry! Mike and Christy on their Calliope are making the trip, too. Today our trip is about 65 miles which will take about 6 hours of peaceful travel along river that winds between tree covered hills with an occasional small town. The sky is bright blue, punctuated by a few clouds, and the river is brown and churning from the water flowing in from tributaries swollen be recent strong rains. We enjoy the four hour ride to Meldahl Dam with Mark and Dean sharing the piloting and Sue hanging out and making sure no one goes hungry. We are missing Nancy while she visits her sister who is in the hospital but know she will meet up with us in a couple of days.

The locks are under construction, both of them! We are told that pleasure craft can lock through at noon and 6 pm so we left early enough to make it to Meldahl before noon. The large lock, designed for the barge traffic, is shut down with one door removed. It is filled with barges carrying cranes and other large construction equipment. The small lock is having a minor repair when we arrive, but 45 minutes later a small construction barge emerges and we are permitted to enter. Dean takes over the job of lassoing the bollard since our expert (Nancy) is missing. After a few tries the boat is secure and we have a quiet locking. When emerging the lock the Ohio River looks like a quiet lake. It is beautiful! We pass Augusta and New Richmond since we have visited both numerous times and arrive in Maysville late afternoon. It is a small river town with a wall to protect it from river flooding, brick streets, and well preserved buildings. After docking we pass through a river wall painted with wonderful murals depicting important events in its history. We met two guys who own a stately Federal style mansion and they invited us in for a tour. The home was beautifully restored and the guys were so friendly and offered many suggestions for things to see and do in Maysville. This town brought me back to my childhood because it is a delightful place that closed most shops Saturday afternoon and Sunday. It was a bit disappointing that we could only window shop but the architecture was interesting and there were quilt block designs scattered around town which added an element of whimsy. There were a couple of restaurants to choose from in town and we took our new friend’s recommendation for dinner. After walking through the town and having dinner it is time to relax on the boat before calling it a day.